


The Trial of Ben Solo

by fionasfables



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fix-It, Force Bond (Star Wars), Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fionasfables/pseuds/fionasfables
Summary: Rey and Ben barely escaped Exegol with their lives, but the fighting is far from over. Their arrival on Ajan Kloss stirs conflict in the Resistance, threatening to sever bonds forged from the fire of war. Faced with the prospect of a galaxy clamoring for the execution of Kylo Ren, Rey and Ben find themselves embroiled in the unfamiliar political arena of the New Republic.A LONG overdue TROS fix - it fic
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 61
Kudos: 120
Collections: TROS Reylo Fix-it Fics





	1. Chapter 1

The ancient X - wing came crashing down onto Ajan Kloss, skidding to a stop amongst the trees and brush, threatening to interrupt the raucous chaos that had erupted in the wake of the Resistance’s victory. Rey ripped off her helmet and threw it out of the open cockpit. BB-8 was rolling around excitedly beneath one of the fighter’s large wings, beeping happily at the sight of his old friend.

“BB-8,” Rey was straining against something unseen in the pilot’s seat, “BB-8, I need a medic right now this is urgent-”

BB-8 beeped in alarm. If Rey was injured, he needed to get Poe.

“No, don’t get Poe! I’m fine, BB-8, I just need a medic-”

BB-8 chirped indignantly and sped off to find Poe. Rey cursed and moved in a blind panic, trying desperately to move the limp body of a barely alive Ben Solo gingerly off her lap. After Ben had collapsed on the ground following their brief kiss on Exegol, it had taken all of Rey’s physical and spiritual strength to drag him off the burning planet. They had barely made it into Luke’s old X-wing when the planet imploded beneath them. On the flight back to Ajan Kloss, Ben drifted in and out of consciousness, but aside from making sure that he was still breathing, Rey couldn’t tend to Ben and pilot the craft at the same time. Once she had regained an iota of her strength she could Force heal his wounds, but until then, a standard medic would have to make do.

What would not do, however, was alerting the entire Resistance to the arrival of the man formerly known as Kylo Ren. Rey knew that it would only take one Resistance fighter overcome with anger and a thirst for justice to end Ben’s life in his current state.

Poe came running through the forest, a medic following close behind, with BB-8 in the lead, beeping with concern about Rey. When Poe got to the X-wing and saw a more or less unharmed, but exhausted, Rey, his face lit up with confusion.

“Rey,” he panted, his hands on his knees, clearly still spent from the very recent dogfight, “I’m so glad you’re alive. BB-8 said you’re hurt.”

“I’m not hurt,” Rey croaked, still trying to move Ben into an upright position. From Poe’s vantage point on the ground, he still couldn’t see Ben strewn across Rey’s lap.

Poe clambered up onto the wing of the craft and froze at the strange sight of Rey cradling the head of the former Supreme Leader in her hands and struggling against his crushing weight on her thighs.

Poe stared incredulously at Rey for a brief moment before slowly taking out his blaster and pointing it at Ben’s head.

“Rey,” Poe whispered, “I don’t want to hurt you. Move away from him.”

“No!” Rey cried, tears streaming down her sweaty, bloody face. “No you don’t understand, he saved my life-”

“That’s KYLO REN!” Poe roared, and BB-8 circled the ground nervously, surprised by his master’s outburst. The medic’s eyes widened at the revelation.

“I won’t let you hurt him!” Rey screamed back.

“What’s wrong with you?” Poe was still brandishing the blaster, his anger directed at Rey now.

“Poe, he’s a valuable prisoner! He knows everything about the First Order! Please, please, don’t kill him!”

The prospect of interrogating Kylo Ren seemed to placate Poe momentarily. He was no doubt remembering his own torture at the hands of the unconcious man currently pinning Rey to the pilot’s seat. There was no question in Rey’s mind that Poe would love to return the favor once bestowed to him on Starkiller Base.

“He’ll need to be sedated,” Poe said, still not holstering his blaster, “and restrained. He’s a prisoner, not a guest.”

_You’re my guest _, Kylo Ren had said to Rey all those months ago when she was shackled to a rack in an interrogation room.__

__“I know,” Rey said thickly, “but if he doesn’t get treated now he’ll die! Please, Poe!”_ _

__Poe stared at Ben’s face for a long second before holstering his weapon and gesturing to the medic before helping Rey hoist Ben out of the cockpit. As the three struggled to maneuver Ben down from the X - wing, BB - 8 beeped words of encouragement, and Poe grunted before saying to Rey,_ _

__“Don’t tell Finn.”_ _

__Rey barely had the time to nod in agreement before a familiar voice floated up from the forest floor._ _

__“Don’t tell Finn what?”_ _

__***_ _

__“He’s a war criminal and he should have been executed on sight!”_ _

__“That’s General Organa’s son, how could you say that?”_ _

__“Yeah, well, the general’s not here, is she?”_ _

__Several hours later in the command tent the Resistance’s leadership was arguing passionately regarding the fate of Ben Solo. Rey stood off to the side, barely listening to the bickering, lost in the Force as she monitored Ben’s energy signature from across the camp. After Rey and Poe dragged Ben to the makeshift prisoner’s quarters, Finn protesting the whole way there, Rey had sat with Ben as a med droid tended to him. After hearing of the identity of their mysterious patient from the medic who greeted Rey upon her arrival, none of the medics would agree to treat Ben, so Rey monitored the med droid, answering questions when she could and stroking Ben’s long black hair. The med droid deemed Ben’s injuries worthy of complete immersion in bacta, and Poe helped Rey sector off a portion of the med bay for Ben’s bacta tank - only after ensuring there was plenty of supplies and hands to heal their injured comrades._ _

__Then Rey was summoned to the command tent to relay her story of Exegol to Poe, Finn, Chewie, Lando, Maz, and Connix. She had been allowed to speak almost uninterrupted, but the second she finished, Poe and Finn were at each other’s throats, the former arguing for interrogation followed by a trial, and the latter demanding execution by blaster - immediately._ _

__Eventually Lando held up his hands and the room fell silent._ _

__“If we kill him without a trial, we’re no better than the First Order, and if we kill him without extracting vital information from him, then we’re fools, and we’re putting everything we’ve worked for in danger.”_ _

__Finn laughed mirthlessly._ _

__“With all due respect, General Calrissian, don’t you think your personal involvements with Han might be tainting your opinion?”_ _

__Lando stared at Finn for several long moments, and the room lapsed into a very uncomfortable silence before Lando responded._ _

__“Kylo Ren killed my best friend. But Ben Solo risked his own life to save us all. Without him, the galaxy would be plunged into darkness like never before. We owe him-”_ _

__“Nothing,” Finn hissed, his hands balled up into fists at his sides, “We owe him nothing.”_ _

__“Besides,” Connix cut in hastily, before tensions could escalate further, “no soldier wants to guard him. They fear for their lives. We’re in danger if we keep him here.”_ _

__“Rey will guard him,” Maz piped up from across the room, her piercing eyes magnified behind her huge glasses, “won’t you, young Jedi?”_ _

__Every face in the room turned to Rey. She sighed internally before responding, avoiding eye contact with Finn as she agreed,_ _

__“I’ll guard him. And interrogate him. I’ll bring him his meals and tend his wounds. I brought him here; he should be my responsibility.”_ _

__“Rey,” Connix reached out and placed a hand on her arm, “would you be safe?”_ _

__Chewie laughed before proudly reassuring the group that Rey could kick Kylo Ren’s ass from here to Kashyyyk and back again without breaking a sweat, which wasn’t necessarily true, but Rey appreciated the sentiment._ _

__“Besides,” Poe said, “in his current state, he won’t be harming any of my troops. He’s drugged to high heaven and is gonna remain restrained through the duration of his stay.”_ _

__Prisoner, not guest._ _

__Finn didn’t respond to any of this, and stared at his boots in obvious disgust._ _

__“Next item on the agenda,” Poe glanced at Finn before continuing, “we need to wipe out the remainder of the First Order before they get the chance to regroup. No offense, General Calrissian, but that was the Alliance’s one mistake following the defeat of the Empire.”_ _

__“None taken,” Lando smiled._ _

__“Our obvious choice to go is Rey, but she’ll be, ah, indisposed,” Poe said gingerly, “so I think we should send…”_ _

__Rey stopped listening again and allowed the conversation to wash over her. Right now, she didn’t care at all about tracking down the remnants of the First Order. Her mind was across the jungle moon, in a prison cell, with a sleeping Ben Solo._ _

__***_ _

__After three standard day cycles, Ben was finally well enough to be removed from the bacta tank. During those three days, Rey had rarely left his metaphorical side, sleeping on the floor and showering in the ‘fresher ' attached to the converted medbay. Poe brought her meals twice a day, and BB-8 had come by a few times to say hi, but other than that, the Resistance avoided this side of the camp like the plague._ _

__After Ben was hauled from the bacta and dropped, unceremoniously and still unconscious, onto a cot, Rey took her time Force healing the smaller cuts and bruises on his face and body, and accelerated the healing process of his broken legs and ribs. That was how Poe found her on the fourth day since her return from Exegol, eyes closed in concentration, leaning over the vast expanse of Ben’s torso as she willed the bones back together again._ _

__Rey savored the few minutes a day Poe came to see her while he still could. She knew that once Ben awoke from his medically induced slumber, Poe’s visits would become fewer and further between._ _

__Poe cleared his throat and dropped her supper on the bedside table. Rey opened her eyes and turned to smile dully at him, only to find Poe’s eyes laced with sadness._ _

__“What is it?” Rey asked._ _

__“Naboo has generously offered to serve as a temporary capital of the New Republic while we move our operations out of the Outer Rim.” Poe explained slowly._ _

__“That’s great!” Rey responded._ _

__“Finn...left for Naboo this morning. With Lando and Connix. They’re going to coordinate the relocation from there.”_ _

__The weight of Poe’s words hit Rey like a bowcaster shot._ _

__“He didn’t say goodbye.” Rey realized sadly._ _

__“Yeah. He didn’t say goodbye to me either. Actually, except to handle Resistance business, Finn hasn’t talked to me at all.” Poe sounded heartbroken, and Rey reached for his hand, which he took gratefully._ _

__Poe distracted himself for a moment by tracing circles around Rey’s knuckle with his calloused thumb before continuing._ _

__“Ren’s trial is to be held on Naboo a week after he wakes up,” Poe whispered gently, “and several systems have already pledged to request the death sentence.”_ _

__Rey tensed for a moment, and looked over at Ben’s scarred face, peaceful in sleep. It was difficult to believe that this man was responsible for unthinkable death and destruction throughout the whole galaxy._ _

__Poe tugged on her hand, and she turned her attention back to her friend._ _

__“Once he wakes up you have one week to get as much information out of him as possible. I can’t guarantee that the galaxy will accept anything less than execution, but this is your only shot. I’ll be staying here to oversee the official interrogation sessions, but if you find yourself needling information out of him in my absence…”_ _

__The thought of using Ben in such a way made Rey sick to her stomach, but she wasn’t stupid - this was her only chance. She had almost lost Ben Solo once. She would be damned if she lost him for good. Rey nodded in agreement._ _

__Poe leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead before walking wordlessly out of the room._ _

__***_ _

__One standard week after their return from Exegol, Rey requested a nutrition IV for Ben. His cheeks looked hollow and gaunt, and when she lifted his shirt to check on his wounds one morning, she noticed that his ribs stuck out considerably more than they had just a few days ago. She was overseeing the droid tending to Ben, asking questions and offering suggestions, when Maz marched right into the little room. Rey jumped up, unsure of what to expect._ _

__Max had eyes only for Ben, however, and she stood close to the cot, her nose only a few inches from Ben’s before abruptly turning back to Rey. Rey knelt to meet Maz at eye level, and allowed Maz to take Rey’s hand in her little ones._ _

__“Young Jedi,” Maz sighed, “you have a most difficult road ahead of you.”_ _

__“What’s going to happen to him?” Rey asked tearfully._ _

__“The truth? Child, even I don’t know. I told you, one time, that there was someone who could still come back, even if your parents were gone.”_ _

__“I thought you meant Luke,” Rey whispered, and Maz shook her head, looking behind Rey to gaze once again upon Ben._ _

__“Ben Solo is not gone, but it is up to you to bring him back. The boy you saw so fleetingly on Exegol - if you are not careful, you’ll never see him again.”_ _

__Maz cupped Rey’s cheek in her hand for a moment before leaving Rey alone with the sleeping Ben once more._ _

__Rey stood and stared at the door for a second before resuming her post next to Ben’s cot. The moment Ben had been removed from the bacta, Poe insisted on shackling his arms and legs to the cot, which Rey was none too happy about, but Poe had already stuck his neck out for her so many times, she felt it would be unfair of her to argue. Rey didn’t know where Kylo’s crossguard saber was, but she was armed with both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers, as well as a blaster holstered to her thigh. Poe had given her strict orders to comm him the moment it looked like Ben might be waking up, but had still insisted on all these extra precautions._ _

__Rey didn’t know what would happen when Ben woke up. She felt fairly confident that Ben had not planned on making it off Exegol alive, and she was concerned about his reaction to waking up as a prisoner of the Resistance. Another thought was gnawing at Rey’s consciousness, demanding attention. Rey had not only felt Ben Solo’s return to the light through their Force bond, she also felt what could only be described as compassion for her, compassion that culminated in a desperate kiss surrounded by the ruins of the Sith temple._ _

__Rey reminisced on that kiss. She smiled at how right and good it had felt to cup Ben’s face, stroke his hair, and be held in his arms. His smile was the most beautiful thing in the galaxy. Rey prayed to the Force that she would see it again._ _

__At some point, Rey fell asleep in the chair beside Ben’s cot, her head resting on the pillow next to his._ _

__***_ _

__“General Dameron,” Jessika, one of his Black Squadron pilots, came skidding into the command tent. Poe turned to her expectantly, only to find her face ashen and hands shaking, and she struggled to open her mouth before saying,_ _

__“The prisoner is awake.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think :)


	2. Chapter 2

_A pair of golden dice held in small, chubby hands. The smiling face of his mother. His uncle, pouring over the Sacred Texts. An ocean. An island. Crimson blood staining white snow. The bisected body of his Master. Running past gargantuan statues on Exegol. Rey was dying. Rey died. Rey. ___

__“Rey!” Ben screamed, his eyes snapping open as he thrashed against the restraints strapping his arms and legs in place. He flailed aimlessly in an attempt to free himself, feeling the cuffs beginning to crack as he bruised his wrists and ankles in his desperate plea for freedom. He was slow and disoriented, and the Force around him felt muted, as if he was channeling it through a bad comm frequency. He couldn’t sense Rey’s Force signature. Where was he? Where was Rey?_ _

__“REY!” Ben screamed again, and he felt the tears begin to run hot down his face. He was so scared. He felt so alone._ _

__Without warning, the door across the room swung open, and Rey ran across the threshold, her eyes wide and lips parted. Even through the haze of Ben’s groggy consciousness, he couldn’t help noticing how beautiful she was._ _

__“Ben,” she whispered, rushing to his side and kneeling next to his head, “Ben it’s okay.”_ _

__Ben wrestled against the metal encasings on his arms, reaching for Rey, and she dropped a hand to his bicep, silently willing him to stop struggling._ _

__“Rey,” Ben said through his tears, “Rey where are we? What’s happening? Are you safe? Are you alright?”_ _

__“Ben, I’m fine,” Rey insisted, still pressing down gently on his arms, “but you need to calm down. We only have a few moments before the others arrive.”_ _

__Ben froze at her words, and she took this opportunity to run her fingers over his wrists, checking his pulse and healing the bruises already blooming, bright and angry, from his fight against the restraints._ _

__“Rey,” Ben pleaded, and she nodded before answering._ _

__“We’re on the Resistance’s main base. You’ve been in a medically induced coma of sorts for six standard day cycles. You were in bacta for three. Poe will be coming by soon. He’ll explain more when he gets here. Just please please try to calm down. You’re safe here. I promise. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”_ _

__“Rey,” Ben whispered, and she stopped moving to gaze into his tear filled eyes, “Rey, there’s so much I want to tell you; I’m so sorry-”_ _

__At that moment, the door burst open again, and the cocky Resistance pilot, Dameron, shot into the room, his blaster trained on Ben’s forehead._ _

__“Poe,” Rey hissed angrily, jumping to her feet to place herself between Poe’s blaster and Ben’s head, “What are you doing? We agreed-”_ _

__“No, Rey,” Dameron said angrily, “it’s time we do things my way.”_ _

__As uncomfortable as Ben was in this vulnerable position, he was far more uncomfortable with Rey using herself as a human shield on his behalf._ _

__“He can’t hurt anyone, look at him!” Rey replied hotly, crossing her arms in front of her body, but her declaration did not assuage Dameron in the slightest, and he ignored her, pulling a datapad out of his pocket and clearing his throat before turning to address Ben._ _

__“Ben Skywalker Organa Solo, also known as ‘Kylo Ren’, Supreme Leader of the First Order, the New Republic charges you with the following crimes - treason, genocide, murder on multiple accounts, torture on multiple accounts, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and other various misdemeanors and felonies. Your trial is to be held in one standard week on the planet of Naboo, where a jury representing the systems of the New Republic will determine your fate. The recommended penalty - execution.”_ _

__Ben allowed the words to wash over him before nodding once to indicate his understanding. Rey had turned from both Dameron and Ben, tears streaming down her face, and Ben couldn’t help but notice the way the pilot glanced at Rey fleetingly before tucking his datapad back into his pocket and lowering his weapon slightly. When he spoke next his voice was void of the authoritative tone he had adopted to issue the Republic’s summons, replaced instead with unmasked fatigue and laced with solemnity._ _

__“Rey will be conducting your interrogation in the following days,” Dameron said, and at that, Ben looked over at Rey, who still had her back to them, “I will be present to collect a record for the Resistance leadership. If you wish to live,” Dameron made eye contact with Ben for the first time since entering the room, “I suggest you tell her everything you know. She’s under orders to get as much information as possible using whatever means necessary, but the more cooperative you are, the more likely the Republic will spare your life.”_ _

__Ben nodded again. He wasn’t afraid to die. He deserved it. He would tell Rey everything he knew, allow her to search his mind to prove his compliance, and then he would go to Naboo and request that the jury grant him a dignified death._ _

__Suddenly, Rey whipped around and fixed Ben with an angry glare. Had he been projecting? It was possible. Oh, well. She deserved to know the truth._ _

__“There have been several individuals who have agreed to testify on your behalf,” Dameron continued, and Ben wondered idly if he would ever stop talking, “but it would benefit you greatly to find more in the coming week.”_ _

__“Who could have possibly volunteered to testify for me?” Ben asked incredulously._ _

__“Chewbacca,” he replied, “Lando Calrissian, Maz Kanata, Rey...and me.”_ _

__Now it was Rey’s turn to stare in disbelief at Dameron, who looked uncomfortably between the both of them before rolling his eyes and explaining, “I’ve seen the reports from Exegol. I know that without Ren, all of us would be space dust floating in the Outer Rim. Someone should make sure the Republic knows that. Also,” Dameron hesitated before continuing, now focusing all of his attention on Ben, “You saved Rey from Palpatine. None of that erases all you did for all those years, but you saved one of my best friends from the same horrible fate you suffered, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.”_ _

__Ben was touched, not just by Poe’s reluctant gratitude, but by those who were risking their reputations to defend him. These were people he had hurt, some of whom he had tried to kill, and they were willing to stand in front of the galaxy and testify...to what, exactly? What good had he done in his entire life that warranted any of this?_ _

__“Thank you,” Ben murmured, and Poe simply nodded back before taking note of Ben’s awkward position, shackled to the standard issue cot, and he turned to Rey, saying,_ _

__“The first official interrogation session will be tonight. He should be assessed by a med droid - and if he can shower, he should do that too. It won’t do the Republic any favors if their most valuable prisoner shows up to court looking as if he’s been held captive by sandpeople.”_ _

__Rey nodded and followed Poe to the door, turning before she left, promising, “I’ll be only a moment, Ben.”_ _

__Ben lay there, staring at the ceiling, his heart heavy while he waited for Rey’s return._ _

__***_ _

__Out in the hallway, Rey and Poe stood right outside the fortified makeshift cell door._ _

__“Thank you,” Rey said, her voice ringing with sincerity, and Poe smiled grimly before replying,_ _

__“I’m not doing this for him. I’m doing this for Leia. It’s what she would have wanted.”_ _

__Rey hugged Poe briefly, and he returned her embrace one armed, holstering his blaster with the other._ _

__“When we get to Naboo,” Poe whispered in Rey’s ear unexpectedly, “the temporary leadership wants to meet with you. They want you to establish a new Jedi Order.”_ _

__“What?” Rey said, still clutching Poe in her arms._ _

__“Think about it. It may be your ticket to saving him.” Poe pulled away from Rey and nodded his head toward the door before pressing an absentminded kiss to Rey’s temple and disappearing down the hallway._ _

__Rey took a deep breath and walked back through the door to Ben’s...cell. She had no mental energy at the moment to devote to the idea of building a new Jedi Order. She had no room in her mind for anything other than Ben, who turned his head towards her as she walked back to his side, his face a passive mask, betraying none of his thoughts. She noticed, not for the first time since she pulled him from the bacta, how young he looked._ _

__Rey said nothing as she released Ben’s restraints with the Force._ _

__“Does anything hurt?” Rey practically whispered, and Ben shook his head before replying,_ _

__“I’ve had worse.” Ben flexed his arms and legs, but remained lying on his back, seemingly under the impression that any sudden movement might startle Rey, who ran her fingers over his ribs and down his broken leg._ _

__“It feels right, but I’m not sure,” Rey admitted, and she helped Ben up into a sitting position, “if anything feels broken please let me know.”_ _

__Ben took her hands in his, and he looked down at them, unable to make eye contact with Rey._ _

__“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, and Rey smiled before responding._ _

__“I know. Come on, let’s see if you can stand.”_ _

__Ben began to protest Rey’s help, and he made to stand on his own, but the second his legs were supporting the full weight of his body, his knees began to buckle, and Rey caught him right before he crumpled to the ground._ _

__“Right,” Rey laughed, struggling slightly under Ben’s massive torso, “so a shower isn’t going to work. There’s a bath in the ‘fresher. I think it might be a tight fit though.”_ _

__Rey half carried Ben across the room and sat him down gently on the side of the tub._ _

__“I’ll call for a housekeeping droid to get new clothes. And sheets,” she added as an afterthought, and she turned to Ben awkwardly before asking, “Do you think you’ll need help undressing? I can ask Poe if-”_ _

__“No,” Ben cut her off in a panicked flurry, decidedly not keen on the thought of one of his oldest enemies, even an enemy turned ally, seeing him in the nude, “I’ll manage. Thank you.”_ _

__“Okay,” Rey bit her lip before heading out the door, “Well, if you slip or die or something just holler. I’ll be right outside.”_ _

___Trying not to think about what you look like naked _, Rey added in her head. In her effort to not leave Ben permanently damaged from his jaunt on Exegol, Rey had seen Ben multiple times in nothing but a small pair of standard issue shorts, but she wasn’t trying to inadvertently invade his privacy any more than she already had to.__ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____When the door had closed behind Rey, Ben struggled with pulling his shirt off, admitting silently to himself that it might have been easier to have a little help. He leaned over and turned on the water, then spent several minutes peeling off his various layers of clothing before maneuvering ungracefully into the bath. There was a point where he almost slipped, but caught himself, and he noticed for the second time that his Force sensitivity seemed latent, and he deduced that it probably had something to do with the sedatives they had given him._ _ _ _

____Once Ben was immersed up to his chest in water, he had nothing to do but think. He thought of his mother and all the things he wished he had said to her before she died. He thought of his father, and their conversation on Kef Bir, and he felt an overwhelming wave of guilt and misery when he recalled the image of his dad run through with Kylo Ren’s lightsaber on Star Killer base. He reflected on all the terrible crimes Kylo Ren had committed, but instead of allowing his vitriolic self - hatred to boil inside of him, he fought it. He could do nothing but good deeds for a hundred lifetimes and still not make up for all the pain and destruction he caused, but giving into his overwhelming disgust at himself would only drive him further from the light he had worked so hard to reach._ _ _ _

____Ben sat there ruminating on his sins until the water began to turn cold. At some point while he was washing, a housekeeping droid let itself in and dropped off some Resistance brown trousers and a white shirt. He supposed it was good for him to take a break from the black. Perhaps people would stop seeing him as Kylo Ren if he quit dressing the part._ _ _ _

____Drying off was easy enough, but dressing was another story altogether. He was finally pulling a pair of boots on when Rey knocked on the door and let herself in. After the bath and a fresh pair of clothes, Ben felt marginally better, and didn’t need to lean on Rey quite as much as she helped him back to the cot. He was surprised to see that the restraints on the bed were nowhere to be seen. Rey must have sensed his question through their bond, because she sat down on the chair across from him and said, “Poe said we can use more traditional restraints, if you behave.”_ _ _ _

____Ben had to refrain from laughing out loud at that._ _ _ _

____Rey leaned over and picked up a canteen of water and a piping hot bowl of soup and handed them to Ben._ _ _ _

____“Eat slowly,” she instructed, and Ben nearly rolled his eyes at her. He had gone longer than one standard week without food before._ _ _ _

____The tranquilizers the Resistance was giving him must have been really strong, because Rey flinched visibly as he remembered the weeks Snoke deprived him of food during his training, no doubt feeling the memory of his hunger pangs. Immediately, Ben felt guilty for projecting his memories, albeit subconsciously, onto Rey. She had spent most of her life hungry. It was cruel of him to remind her of that._ _ _ _

____Ben set the bowl on the small table next to the cot and took Rey’s hands in his own._ _ _ _

____“Rey,” he said haltingly, “I want to tell you something now, before...everything else happens.”_ _ _ _

____Rey nodded and brushed her fingers delicately over his knuckles._ _ _ _

____“After you left Kef Bir,” Ben began, pointedly ignoring what else had happened on Kef Bir, “my father appeared to me.”_ _ _ _

____Rey’s jaw dropped open. It was unbelievably adorable._ _ _ _

____“Han was there? Like a Force ghost? I saw Luke!”_ _ _ _

____“What? No. You saw Luke?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, but that’s not important,” Rey dismissed her own news quickly, “Tell me about your father!”_ _ _ _

____“My dad didn’t have any Force sensitivity,” Ben explained, “he was nothing more than a memory. But he touched me, Rey, like he was there. And he told me...he told me that even if my mother was gone, what she fought for, what she stood for, that wasn’t gone.”_ _ _ _

____“No one is ever really gone,” Rey whispered, staring off into the distance._ _ _ _

____“What did Luke tell you?” Ben asked, trying to delay telling Rey what was really on his mind._ _ _ _

____“Oh, nothing really,” Rey said, “He got fussy because I tried to set your grandfather’s saber on fire-”_ _ _ _

____“You did WHAT?”_ _ _ _

____“And then he gave me your mother’s saber-”_ _ _ _

____“My mother was a Jedi?”_ _ _ _

____“No, she was a Sith,” Rey said sarcastically, “Ben, stop interrupting. And then he told me I had to face Palpatine, it was my destiny, and I flew his old fighter to Exegol.” Ben was floored._ _ _ _

____“My mother was a Jedi?”_ _ _ _

____“She trained with Luke, but on the last night of her training, she…” Rey trailed off, not making eye contact with Ben, “She decided not to finish.”_ _ _ _

____“Why?”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t know,” Rey lied._ _ _ _

____Ben sensed Rey’s dishonesty but did not push the subject any further. He would ask again when the time was right. In the meantime, he summoned the courage to ask Rey for what seemed to be the impossible._ _ _ _

____“Rey,” Ben tried again, “If...when the trial is over, I want to...honor my mother. I want to fight for what she stood for, and do good in the galaxy. Will you...will you help me?”_ _ _ _

____Rey’s face broke into the most radiant, beautiful smile that existed in the entire galaxy, and she reached out and cupped his cheek, wiping an errant tear from his eye. He returned the smile best he could._ _ _ _

____“Anything, Ben,” Rey promised, her eyes bright with unshed tears, “I would do anything for you.”_ _ _ _

____Ben pulled Rey off the chair and onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she rested her head on his chest. Despite his uncertain future, the prospect of execution, and a lifetime of making amends, Ben felt truly at peace in this moment - more so than he had in his entire life._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This is a little bit of a fluff chapter, not much substance, but never fear! The next chapter is Interrogation Day One (TM) and it will be juicy, I promise. Thank you so much for the positive response to the first chapter! Everyone is way too kind.
> 
> Additionally, I am in the market for a beta reader on this and my other Reylo fic, Fallen Angel (shameless self promotion there, sorry). If anyone is interested or wants to point me in some type of direction I would be eternally indebted to you.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“This is General Poe Dameron of the Republic Fleet, recording the interrogation of Ben Skywalker Organa Solo by the Jedi Knight Rey…”

So she made him a general, Ben thought idly, good for him.

Poe was speaking to the little orange BB unit Kylo had hunted years ago that was set to record the meeting through its spec lens. The thing whirred and beeped cheerfully in a way that would have made Kylo Ren want to have at it with a few well aimed whacks from his lightsaber, but the droll little droid brought Ben a great deal of peace.

Just a few moments ago, Rey’s commlink had pinged, alerting her that Poe would be arriving soon to begin the interrogation session. Rey had reluctantly dragged the chair into the middle of the room and helped Ben over to it, and grimaced apologetically when she shackled his hands together behind his back and his ankles to the legs of the chairs. She had nothing to be sorry about. He had done much worse to both Rey and Poe during their short stints on Starkiller Base.

“...this, thirty five years after the Battle of Yavin on the temporary Resistance base on Ajan Kloss,” Poe finished, and the little BB unit beeped happily in recognition. Poe glanced back at Rey before turning to Ben, explaining,

“Rey will handle most of the talking. I’m just here to represent the interests of the Republic. I’ll only jump in if I feel you’re being difficult,” he raised his eyebrows at Ben, “or that the Republic would need elaboration on a topic. Capiche?”

Ben nodded.

“Take it away, Rey.”

“Alright, Ben,” Rey said, her face set resolutely, “Let’s start at the beginning.”

Once Ben was talking he couldn’t stop. He started when he was ten, a padawan training with Luke, and he spoke of how Snoke had infiltrated his mind and warped his heart, and explained the events that led to the destruction of the Jedi Temple and the creation of Kylo Ren. He knew this wasn’t exactly what Poe was looking for, but the longer he spent talking, the better he felt, and he wouldn’t stop himself even if he could. It was as if he was purging his body of toxins and poisons - once he had explained every bad thing he had done in excruciating detail, the last remnants of the dark side would flee his soul forever. It was also so easy talking to Rey. Her eyes were warm and kind, and he would have been able to pretend they were alone if it weren’t for Poe’s pacing, his loyal little droid rolling dutifully alongside him.

“After Luke told Rey the true story of the night the Temple fell, she shipped herself to the Supremacy, and during our audience with the Supreme Leader, I killed Snoke-”

“Hold up,” Poe said, ceasing his pacing and raising his hands above his head, “You killed Snoke?”

Rey rolled her eyes.

“Yes, I killed Snoke,” Ben repeated, and Poe stared incredulously at him.

“Why? So you could become Supreme Leader?”

“No,” Ben clarified, and he glanced at Rey before continuing, “Snoke commanded me to kill Rey. I killed him instead. It was never my intention to be Supreme Leader. I never much liked it.”

Poe rounded on Rey. “You told us-”

“I know what I told you,” Rey said, waving him away, “But Ben is speaking the truth. I was there. I saw it.”

“Will wonders never cease,” Poe muttered under his breath.

Rey shot Ben a secret, knowing glance before prompting him to continue.

“Obviously, I spent the next year at the helm of the First Order, but I was...distracted. My Knights and I were gone often, Jedi- hunting,” Ben grimaced, “and I regret that I was not as privy to the day to day operations of the First Order as I ought to have been. I created the Supreme Council, which more or less ruled with discretion during my elongated absences.”

“Who was on the Supreme Council?” Poe asked.

Ben racked his brain to remember each name. 

“Allegiant General Pryde, General Hux, Admiral Frantis Griss, and generals Amret Engell, Bellava Parnadee, and Domaric Quinn were the most involved members.”

Poe looked gleefully at BB-8, and the little droid nodded, probably to indicate that he was forwarding each name to the New Republic leadership.

“What happened to the Knights of Ren?” Rey asked.

“I killed them.”

“Huh,” Rey responded, “All of ‘em?”

Ben nodded in response.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Rey said, turning to Poe, who jotted down a note on a stray piece of paper.

“Alright,” Poe said, fixing Ben with a pensive stare, “So how did the First Order learn of Palpatine’s return?”

Ben’s eyebrows furrowed. “How did the Resistance learn of Palpatine’s return?”

“From the First Order,” Poe responded, and Ben smiled before replying,

“Ah, yes. Hux always was a weasley little bastard. I was disappointed when Pryde killed him. He was fun to have around, even if he was spying for the Resistance.”

Poe’s jaw actually dropped open. Rey’s eyes were as large as saucers.

“You knew?” They exclaimed in tandem.

“Of course I knew,” Ben laughed, “I was absent, not neglectful. Why not let Hux have his fun? I wasn’t overly concerned with the fate of the First Order anyway, not at the end.”

“Okay,” Poe conceded, running his hands through his curly brown hair, “This is way more convoluted than I thought it would be. We’ll have to cover all of that in a subsequent session. So, back to the original question - how did the First Order find out about Palpatine?”

“Once Darth Siduous’s broadcast was heard throughout the galaxy, in addition to Jedi - hunting, my Knights and I were extraordinarily preoccupied with discovering whether or not the Emperor had returned. For many months, through the use of spies, scouts, and studies of the dark side, I recovered a wayfinder on Mustafar and used that to get to Exegol.”

“Yes, we do know that much,” Poe agreed, scrolling through his datapad, “It’s actually one of the more recent charges being brought against you - the massacre of the Alazmec on Mustafar.”

Ben hung his head in regret and shame, letting the guilt overwhelm him. Rey cleared her throat, trying to get the interrogation back on track.

“What happened when you got to Exegol?” Rey asked, but Ben didn’t look at her as he responded flatly,

“I found Palptaine very much alive, albeit extraordinarily reliant on life support. His cultists were there as well. He instructed me to kill you in exchange for ruling as the New Emperor. Instead, I chased you all across the galaxy - to Pasaana, Kijimi, then finally to Kef Bir. We dueled. You delivered a deathblow. We felt...my mother become one with the Force. Then, you Force healed me, and left for Exegol.”

It was a shadow of the truth, but Ben didn’t feel prepared to tell the entire galaxy that the memory of his father had held his face and told him to fight for what his mother believed in. Rey narrowed his eyes at him but did not reveal his lie of omission.

“Why did you follow me to Exegol?” Rey whispered 

Ben looked up at Rey. She was so beautiful. Her eyes were bright, her pink lips slightly parted, and stray pieces of her chestnut colored hair curled in little ringlets in front of her ears.

“So you wouldn’t be alone,” Ben whispered back, and Rey smiled shyly at him, “But also because I knew the Emperor’s plans for you. He never intended for me to kill you. He had been in my head since before I was born - he knew I would never hurt you. I knew that if you went to Exegol, he would convince you to kill him to save the Resistance, and you would ascend the dark throne. I couldn’t let that happen to you.”

“Rey told us what happened on Exegol,” Poe interjected, “But we want to make sure your stories match, otherwise you’ll be in deep bantha shit.”

Ben nodded. “I flew to Exegol and killed the Emperor’s guards and the Knights of Ren. They had never truly been loyal to me; they were serving another Master the whole time. Then I found Rey - who had also been fighting the Emperor’s minions - and we faced off against Palpatine, but he drained the life Force from us to strengthen himself.

“I woke up first, and he sent me careening down into a pit. By the time I crawled out, the Emperor was nowhere to be found, and you…” Ben looked at Rey, and the memory of Rey’s lifeless body lying cold on the stone of Exegol was suddenly too much to bear. It had been by far the worst moment of his life - when he felt the flame of her Force signature extinguish and he thought he had lost her forever.

“You were dead,” Ben whispered, “And I thought...I didn’t know what to do. So I tried to transfer my life Force to you. The effort should have killed me, but then you woke up, and...the next thing I remember is waking up here.” Ben lied, purposefully omitting their illicit kiss.

Rey was staring at Ben, her face an unreadable mask, and he desperately wished to know what she was thinking.

Poe was typing away on his datapad, unaware of the emotionally charged moment taking place between Ben and Rey.

“Yep, that about checks out,” Poe agreed, and he looked up from his datapad to see Rey and Ben pointedly not looking at each other. Poe cleared his throat, and both of them snapped their gaze guiltily to Poe.

“What happened after Crait?” Rey asked hurriedly, trying to save face as much as possible. Ben jumped at the opportunity to discuss something other than Exegol.

“I made it the First Order’s top priority to wipe out the Resistance. That hunt for the Resistance, however, meant that the First Order neglected many of the systems already within their realm. The first few months following the Battle of Crait were relatively smooth sailing, and we conquered many worlds with ease. Once word of Luke Skywalker’s sacrifice was circulating throughout the galaxy, it sparked hope in the Resistance, and planetary systems such as Corellia and Naboo began engaging in their own rebellions against First Order rule.

“I created the 709th Legion, an elite company of Stormtroopers to accompany me on my missions to destroy the Resistance. We engaged the Resistance on Batuu,” Ben inclined his head at Rey, acknowledging his memory of their vicious lightsaber battle on the Black Spire, during which she nearly sliced off his right hand, “But it was all for naught. Then we thought we had corned you on Vendaxa-”

“Ha! So the false lead did work!” Poe interjected excitedly, and his little droid responded in kind, whizzing joyfully around Rey’s ankles.

“I never said it wouldn’t work,” Rey responded huffily, “But what’s on Vendaxa?”

“Nothing,” Ben conceded, “And it threw us off your tail for quite some time. Once Palpatine’s transmission was heard, however, I abandoned the search for the Resistance in favor of finding and destroying the Emperor. He posed a much greater threat to my rule than the Resistance ever could.”

“That gave us the time we needed to establish the base on Ajan Kloss and build up rapport with other discontent planetary systems,” Poe realized, connecting the dots of the past several months in his head before punching Rey playfully on the arm and adding, “So, I guess we have good ol’ Granddaddy Palps to thank after all. Without his timely reappearance, we never would have had the resources to engage the First and Final Orders.”

Rey stared back at Poe stonily. Ben, for his part, was wildly impressed with the flyboy’s gall. It only took a few moments before Poe looked rightly chastised, however, and apologetically admitted, “A little too soon, perhaps?”

Rey nodded silently, still staring daggers at Poe. 

The interrogation proceeded this way for quite some time. Poe wanted to know the names of the commanders of the 709th Legion, all the First Order fleet admirals and foot generals, as well as any planetary systems where the local governments had been enthusiastically supportive of the First Order right up until the very end. This was crucial, Rey explained, in not repeating the mistakes his parents had made over thirty years ago that had led to the creation of the First Order. She didn’t mention his parents by name - using instead the catch all phrase ‘Rebel Alliance’ - but Ben knew who they were both truly thinking of.

After what felt like hours, Poe’s commlink pinged, interrupting Ben’s recitation of First Order fueling ports in the Mid Rim. Poe glanced down at the little device momentarily before declaring, “I’ve gotta take this. It’s Fi...the general.”

Rey nodded sadly, but Ben was utterly confused. He thought Poe was the general?

“One last thing though,” Poe said as he responded to the transmission, “Our intel indicates that at least one of your higher ranking officers was not entirely loyal to the First Order, and instead had been working with Palpatine the entire time. Have any idea who that might be?”

Ben thought for a moment before shaking his head. Honestly, each one of his own generals and admirals would not have hesitated to stab him in the back if the opportunity had presented itself, so he wouldn’t have been surprised if he was the only soul on the entirety of the Steadfast that was not one of Palpatine’s followers.

Poe clicked his tongue before saying, “Think about it. It would be good to know. Rey, a word?”

Rey smiled wordlessly at Ben, before following Poe and the little droid out into the hallway, leaving Ben mentally exhausted, still shackled to the chair, and wondering sadly if he truly was making his mother proud.

***

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Poe asked Rey as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Yes,” Rey admitted, stifling a yawn as she rubbed her eyes, “I don’t sense any dishonesty in his Force signature, and I mean, it all fits, doesn’t it? What does he gain from lying now?”

“You’re right,” Poe agreed, “But you know at some point you’re going to have to look inside his head and confirm his honesty.”

Rey nodded, unwilling to tell Poe the truth - that, by the nature of their dyad, she was almost always in Ben’s head, especially now, when his mental shields were more or less nonexistent. She had felt Ben’s anguish when Poe mentioned the massacre on Mustafar. She had seen what she looked like dead on Exegol in Ben’s mind. She knew he was trying hard to remember everything he could about the First Order in his efforts to honor his mother.

Rey just hoped that, when they got to Naboo, it would be enough.

“He saved your life twice,” Poe marveled, and Rey had to refrain from rolling her eyes before clarifying,

“I’ve spared his life just as many times.”

“Yeah, but you’re not evil.”

BB-8 bumped into Poe’s leg, beeping indignantly at him, and Poe’s face flushed red before grabbing Rey’s hand and saying, “Look, Rey, I’m sorry about the Palpatine comment. The truth is, though...when the New Republic finds out about your parentage, they’re going to be much less inclined to trust you, both to rebuild the Jedi Order and testify honestly in favor of...Darth Vader’s grandson. I just...don’t want you to be blindsided when you’re up in the witness stand.”

_Rey, never be afraid of who you are. ___

__Rey smiled warmly at the memory of her old Master, who had trained her despite her legacy. If the Skywalkers could accept her into the galaxy, so could the New Republic._ _

__“Thank you, Poe,” Rey said, grasping Poe’s hands in both of hers, “I’ll be fine. I promise,” Rey then glanced at Poe’s commlink before whispering, “If you could say hi to Finn for me I’d really appreciate it.”_ _

__“I will, Rey.”_ _

__With that, Poe and BB-8 rushed down the hall, heading towards the command tent, the little droid beeping happy farewells to Rey._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my personal headcanons is that Kylo always knew that Hux was the spy, he just loved playing Hux for a fool and couldn't resist such a juicy opportunity.  
> Also, we love foreshadowing; Rey's grand-parentage will most def prove to be an issue in coming chapters (how could it not?).  
> Lastly, credit to the Ben Solo Wookiepedia which is where I got most of my ideas for how to fill in the gaps between TLJ and The Film That Shall Not Be Named.  
> Thanks for reading, as well as all the kind feedback! Let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

“How are you feeling?”

Rey picked up the chair and carried it back across the room to the side of the bed, setting it down and taking a seat in it as she surveyed Ben, who was perched on the side of the bed, his feet planted firmly on the ground in front of them. Their knees knocked against each other as Rey waited for a response.

The interrogation - if one could call it that - had drained Rey of much of her already depleted energy, and she felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to crawl into the cot next to Ben and sleep until the past few years became nothing but a distant memory.

Ben shrugged. Now that the initial shock of Ben’s true return was starting to wear off, the air between them felt stiff and uncomfortable, and Rey was reminded that up until recently, a majority of their interactions had ended in either a physical or verbal altercation. They sat quietly for another moment or two, each staring at their own hands, before Ben broke the silence.

“That was a rather different experience than you and Poe had on Starkiller Base.”

Rey looked up at his face, which was taut with shame and wracked with regret. She didn’t know how to tell him that she forgave him.

“Well,” Rey responded lightly, trying to distract Ben from the sins of his past, “You were a much more willing participant than Poe and I had been.”

Her stupid joke did nothing to calm Ben, and he fixed her with a very tight, pained expression, his eyes dark and his lip trembling. Rey chastised herself internally and tried again.

“Ben...please promise me you’re going to fight.”

He did not meet her eyes.

“Ben,” Rey said more urgently, taking one of his giant hands with her two smaller ones, “I almost lost you on Exegol. I can’t lose you again.”

“I did lose you,” Ben responded, finally raising his eyes to gaze intently at Rey, “And it was as if a part of myself had died. I won’t let my past put you in danger any longer.”

“There’s no danger here, Ben.”

“Not now, but there will be. If you, and even Chewie and Maz and Lando, fight for me, the galaxy will turn against you. I couldn’t do that to you. You could never sleep soundly again. The threats against your life would never end.”

“When the Republic learns of who you really are, they’ll turn,” Rey insisted, “I know it.”

“You place a great deal of faith in a Republic that created the monster that was Kylo Ren.”

Rey felt her eyes fill with tears. She searched Ben’s face hungrily, desperately looking for one ounce of weakness in his resolve to punish himself; something that she could latch onto and use to convince him that his own life was worth saving. The tears spilled out of her eyes and onto her cheeks, and Ben lifted his other hand to wipe them away. She leaned into his touch.

“You’re so young,” he murmured softly, brushing her hair with his fingertips, “You have your whole life ahead of you. I can’t condemn you now; not any more than I already have.”  
Rey choked back a sob, the sound leaving her mouth in a painful gasp. His words wounded her more than any blaster shot ever could.

“We could run,” Rey said wildly, “After the trial, we could go to the Outer Rim or the Unknown Regions - somewhere no one would ever find us.”

Ben smiled ever so slightly at her words, and Rey thought she may have finally found a way to convince him to stay - but the smile faded quickly, and he responded sadly,

“You, who have searched your whole life for a family, and have finally found one, would abandon all of that for me? I could never ask that of you, Rey.”

Rey didn’t know what to tell him. How do you tell someone who knows your whole mind your biggest secret? How could she tell him the truth - that she would gladly give up the whole galaxy if it meant spending the rest of her life by his side? How could she tell him that no one understood her like him, her life before him was devoid of meaning, and she was so scared of returning to that dark place if he were to leave her?

Rey thought back to when she kissed Ben on Exegol. It was almost a knee jerk reaction, something she had wanted to do since the moment she had accidentally found herself in the small corner of Kylo Ren’s mind that still housed Ben Solo’s soul. It had been the easiest thing in the world - tantamount to breathing, easier than falling asleep after a long day’s work. She thought of how the brief kiss had said everything they had ever hid from each other, and everything they hadn’t ever gotten the chance to say before Ben collapsed on the cold stone of the disintegrating planet. Maybe if Rey couldn’t tell Ben how she felt, she could show him.

Rey untangled one of her hands from Ben’s and brought it up to his face so that it mirrored his own resting on her cheek. She ran her hand through his hair and down to the nape of his neck, and she searched his eyes shortly before, suddenly, Ben pulled her to his chest and kissed her fiercely, his mouth moving desperately against hers, and she hastened to match his movements, allowing his tongue to brush against her lower lip. He was so tall he had lifted her out of the chair to bring her lips to his, and she stood between his legs where he sat on the edge of the bed, tracing her fingers up and down his arms and chest in a desperate plea to feel more of him.

She kissed him passionately, only stopping to plant a kiss to his jaw, his cheek, and finally his ear, where she ghosted her lips against his soft flesh and whispered,

“Fight, Ben. Do it for me.”

She kissed his forehead, his hair, the corner of his mouth, everywhere on his face but his lips until he finally nodded once and she crushed their mouths back together. Perhaps it was wrong of her, she thought, to exploit their feelings for each other like this. The truth was, though, that Rey was more desperate than she had been in her entire life, and if the only way to save him was to make sure that he knew how she felt about him - well, there were worse things she could do.

She was so engrossed with the way his mouth felt against hers, warm and soft and right, and was so preoccupied with how his hands were drifting further and further down her back, that she didn’t notice the door behind her open until a voice roared,

“Get your hands off her!”

***

Kylo Ren had been no stranger to fear; in fact, he had welcomed it - fear was a path to the dark side, after all. Ben Solo had also found himself in many a harrowing situation, but nothing compared to the terror he felt in this moment.

FN-2187- Finn, he had to sternly remind himself - had burst into the room while Ben was busy...exploring Rey’s mouth. With his mouth. It had taken Finn’s verbal outburst to tear Rey apart from Ben, and now she stood sheepishly, still between his legs, as Finn struggled against Poe’s arms locked around his torso. Finn’s eyes were dark with rage and he strained to get closer to Ben, undoubtedly planning on executing some type of physical assault if he could ever break free from Dameron’s grasp.

“Get away from her!” Finn yelled at Ben, and Rey quickly scurried to the other side of the chair, trying to place a respectable distance between herself and Ben.

“Finn, stop!” Rey shouted, running across the room to help Poe restrain Finn. Ben sat on the bed, helpless.

“You better talk real fast, Rey,” Poe said between labored breaths, his face nearly as murderous as Finn’s, “Or you may find my grip starting to slip.”

“Finn, it’s not what you think, please stop! You’re hurting Poe.”

The revelation that the effort required to keep Finn from killing Ben was damaging Poe seemed to calm Finn enough that Poe was able to adjust his arms so just a hand was grasped firmly around Finn’s wrist. Finn glanced over at Poe apologetically, who nodded stiffy before sighing and looking at Ben.

“He’s supposed to be in cuffs, Rey,” Poe said exasperatedly, and Rey’s ears turned pink.

“You,” Finn said, pointing a finger at Ben, who wished he had strength enough to stand during this confrontation, “Have a lot of fucking nerve showing your face around here.”

“I agree,” Ben replied flatly, and Rey made a panicked face at him, shaking her head as if to say _don’t antagonize him _.__

__Finn sneered at Ben._ _

__“It doesn’t matter, anyway. The New Republic will vote to execute Kylo Ren soon enough. Then there will finally be justice in the galaxy.”_ _

__Rey turned angrily to her friend._ _

__“Killing him won’t restore peace and justice to the galaxy!”_ _

__“Maybe not to you,” Finn retorted angrily, “But to me it will!”_ _

__“Guys, no one is getting executed right now, so maybe if we could just-” Poe said softly, but he was drowned out by Finn and Rey’s shouting match._ _

__“Why were you kissing him?”_ _

__“That’s not really any of your business!”_ _

__“He killed Han!”_ _

__“I know!” Rey screeched, the tears falling fast down her face, and Ben made to try to stand up, to comfort her, to allow Finn to kill him with his bare hands, something, anything to stop Rey from hurting anymore, but the second he moved, Poe trained his blaster on Ben’s chest._ _

__“Bad idea, buddy,” Poe said calmly, and Ben sank back into the mattress, not strong enough to stand on his own for very long anyway._ _

__Finn rounded on Poe, as if suddenly remembering he was there with them._ _

__“And you!” Finn shouted, Poe gazing stoically back at him, “You’re going to testify for him! How could you? After all he did to you? And Rey? And Leia?”_ _

__At the mention of Leia, Poe looked at Ben, and he saw something in the pilot’s face that caused Ben a great deal of wonder, but it was fleeting, and Poe turned back to Finn before Ben could comprehend all that it meant._ _

__“It’s what Leia would have wanted,” Poe responded quietly, and Ben’s heart ached. Poe had probably been the person closest to Leia in the final years of her life - he would know better than anyone if she wanted her son back or not._ _

__“I thought you were supposed to be on Naboo,” Rey asked Finn, and his eyes never left Ben’s face as he responded,_ _

__“Once I got word that Kylo Ren was awake and awaiting questioning, I took the Falcon back here, to Ajan Kloss. I wanted to make sure that he knew that there is a very angry galaxy out there eagerly awaiting a chance to get their hands on him.”_ _

__“Perhaps you could request the New Republic grant you the honor of executing me,” Ben said tauntingly._ _

__“You deserve to die a slow, painful death, you monster!” Finn spit out, his teeth bared menacingly._ _

__“Yes I do,” Ben agreed simply, and Rey cast another panicked, angry look in his direction before interjecting,_ _

__“Stop it, the both of you, you’re acting like children-”_ _

__“Rey, kindly butt out,” Finn said, still not bothering to look into her direction, and she pulled angrily on the arm not being held by Poe, retorting,_ _

__“The only reason we’re all standing here alive is because of him!”_ _

__“You know what, Rey, you’re right,” Finn said, finally rounding on her, and Ben made to stand again, but a sharp look from Poe told him that it wasn’t a bright idea, “If it weren’t for Kylo Ren, none of us would be standing here, because there would be no First Order! If it weren’t for him, Han, Luke, and Leia would still be alive. And you’re kissing him!” Finn finished with disgust._ _

__“You two, STOP!” Poe yelled, and the room shook with the vibrations of authority in his voice. Everyone fell silent._ _

__“General,” Poe said to Finn, adopting the same formal tone he used to issue Ben’s court summons, “You requested an audience with the prisoner to deliver a message from the New Republic. Do you have it?”_ _

___Leia made Finn a general too? ____ _

____Finn shot Poe a murderous look, clearly happy to keep railing on Ben for the rest of the evening, but he looked at Rey, her face tear stained and splotchy, and for the first time since bursting into the room, he looked uncomfortable and slightly apologetic. Finn addressed Rey next, having eyes only for her, and Ben felt a twinge of jealousy at the intensity of Finn’s gaze upon Rey’s radiant face._ _ _ _

____“The New Republic has decided to try Kylo Ren as a fallen Jedi, meaning that his crimes will be judged against the code of the Jedi Order.”_ _ _ _

____Ben froze, the gravity of Finn’s statement piercing his heart like a shard of ice. He willed Finn not to continue, not to say what he knew was coming next, please, Force-_ _ _ _

____Finn looked at Ben before delivering the next blow._ _ _ _

____“Per the laws of the Old Republic, as adopted by the New Republic, a Jedi can only be executed by a member of the Jedi Council. Rey is the only Jedi left, therefore...she is the Council.”_ _ _ _

____Rey shook her head, either unwilling or unable to understand, and Poe made eye contact with Ben before turning away, letting go of Finn entirely, his back to his friends._ _ _ _

____“There is no Jedi Council,” Rey was saying, but it was as if Ben was underwater, and her words floated in the air around him but didn’t permeate his consciousness, “I barely trained with Luke and Leia, I’m not a Master, I’m not on any council…”_ _ _ _

____Finn stared at the ground, not meeting anyone’s eyes, and it was clearly with a heavy heart that he abandoned all pretense of formality and got right to the point._ _ _ _

____“If the New Republic sentences Kylo Ren to die for his crimes, the execution must be carried out by the Jedi Knight Rey in accordance with the law of this Republic. No exceptions.”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and thank you for the feedback! It is, as always, so very appreciated.  
> I kind of made up that whole "a Jedi has to be executed by another Jedi" thing - I did some research and didn't find anything substantial so sorry if that ends up being not canon or there's an EU thing that says differently. This author is trying!  
> Also, I'm just going to put a reminder **POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT** this fic is not tagged for Major Character Death, so take that as you may.  
> Let me know what you think! With love, F


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick IMPORTANT note: I'm going to put in a possible **TW or CW:** suicidal thoughts for a few lines in this chapter. If you don't want to read that, stop at "...his voice was strikingly solemn." and pick up at "What he really wanted was...". I don't anticipate this type of TW will have to be used again in the story. Thank you!

_“Then I will kill you with the cruelest stroke.” ___

__Ben had knelt in Snoke’s throne room more than a year ago as the decrepit old monster snarled those words at Rey. At the time, Ben had assumed the worst - Snoke would torture, humiliate, and punish Rey, drawing out her death for days as to make it as cruel and painful as possible._ _

__It was only hours later, after he had lost to the astral projection of Luke Skywalker and was alone in his quarters on the Finalizer that he realized what Snoke had meant. For Rey, the cruelest stroke would not be dying a bloody, elongated death. Snoke knew that the death that would inflict the most damage upon Rey would be a death at the hands of Ben Solo._ _

__Turns out, the exact same was true for him._ _

__It only took Rey a moment or two for her to process Finn’s declaration, and then she walked straight out of the room without so much as a backwards glance at any of them._ _

__Poe, Finn, and Ben stared at each other in abject confusion and disbelief before all three men hastened to follow Rey out into the hallway, Ben stumbling and limping, still not having regained all the strength in his broken leg. He leaned on the walls for support. Finn and Poe jogged to catch up to her, and Ben felt a twinge of annoyance and jealousy that he couldn’t get to her first._ _

__“Rey,” Finn asked, his hand around Rey’s wrist, and she looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact with any of them, “Rey, where are you going?”_ _

__“To Naboo. I’m going to tell the Republic I renounce the Jedi Order and my Knighthood. I’m going to hand over my sabers and tell them exactly where they can stick-”_ _

__“I got a bad feeling about this,” Poe responded softly, and he turned to enlist Ben’s help in convincing Rey to abandon her reckless, impulsive notions when Poe noticed that Ben was breathing heavy, sweat beading on his forehead at the effort to remain vertical, and Poe grabbed Ben’s arm and helped him sit on the floor, his back against the cool durasteel wall. Ben found the whole ordeal utterly humiliating._ _

__Ben’s journey from standing upright to seated on the floor snapped Rey out of her one track mind, for the moment at least. She pulled her wrist from Finn’s grip and walked calmly to Ben. She knelt in front of him, her eyes searching his face, and he had the strangest feeling that she was...evaluating him._ _

__“Please go,” Rey whispered. Her eyes never left his face, but it was clear her words weren’t meant for him._ _

__Finn began to protest, but he was silenced by Poe, who dragged him unceremoniously down the hallway, cheerfully yelling, “Cuffs, Rey,” before disappearing around the corner. Ben could hear the distant throes of Finn and Poe’s arguing while he and Rey sat in silence, staring at each other._ _

__Finally, Rey broke their extended eye contact, and offered a hand to Ben. He took it wordlessly, and they walked together back into his...cell, her thin arm wrapped around his midsection, and his arm slung haphazardly across her shoulder. She deposited him gently on the bed before taking a seat next to him, as opposed to her usual spot in the chair. Perhaps it would hurt too much for her to look him in the face; perhaps sitting side by side would soften the blows of the inevitably painful conversation._ _

__“Still want to let the Republic sentence you to die?” Rey’s voice sounded small, despite the obvious coolness in her tone, and Ben had to resist the urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her close to him._ _

__“Rey, I…”_ _

__“I won’t do it. I’d rather die.”_ _

___The cruelest stroke..._ _ _

____Ben didn’t know what to say. Rey stared at her hands, folded neatly in her lap, but Ben recognized the telltale fidgeting of her fingers from their various, unplanned Force bond sessions over the last year._ _ _ _

____For the first time since waking up on Ajan Kloss, Ben felt true anger, not annoyance or exhaustion or inconvenience, but rage, boiling up inside of him. Didn’t Rey know him at all?_ _ _ _

____“Do you think I want to die by your hand?” Ben snapped, and she was so alarmed by his abrupt change in tone that she flinched a little. “This whole - I never planned on making it off Exegol alive! Every second I spend with you is a gift-”_ _ _ _

____Rey jumped to her feet, her little hands clenched at her side._ _ _ _

____“You’re asking me to kill you, Ben.”_ _ _ _

____“I would never.” His voice was strikingly solemn._ _ _ _

____“Do you want to die?”_ _ _ _

____This question caused Ben to pause. He deserved to die, this much of which he was certain. He deserved to be killed with the cruelest stroke. He could die by Rey’s sword a hundred times and it would still not absolve him of his endless sins._ _ _ _

____Did he wish to die? No, but that was of little consequence. There had been times in his life where he would have welcomed the sweet release of death; there were times when he longed for the possibility of nothingness when his life was so tumultuous and chaos reigned supreme. His own mortality had never been far from his thoughts - whether on the battlefield or in Snoke’s training, he was always acutely aware of the possibility of his physical demise. Oftentimes he wondered what would happen to him when he died._ _ _ _

____What he truly wanted in this moment, if he was being honest with himself, which was something he was rarely afforded the opportunity to do as Kylo Ren, was run. He wanted to grab Rey’s hand, run to the nearest space - worthy ship, and then jet off to a far away corner of the galaxy together, where they could live out the rest of their lives free from war, free from the past, free from pain and suffering._ _ _ _

_____The Force shall free me._ _ _ _ _

______“The Republic cares not of my convictions,” Ben finally answered, and he was surprised that steam was not flowing out of Rey’s ears. She looked prepared to kill him this very moment._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I care.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“The Republic gives no more thought to your wishes than my own. If you do not bend to their will, you will suffer the same fate as me.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Rey’s eyes were filled with tears._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Then I will suffer the same fate as you,” Rey repeated. Ben imagined his face to be a mirror image of her own, brimming with unshed tears._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You squander my sacrifice as if it was nothing,” Ben said, livid._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’re alive!” Rey cried, throwing her hands up in the air._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No, you don’t understand!” Ben was yelling. “Giving my life for you ensured that my death had meaning - it would be a good death, an honorable one. Offering up your own life for someone you lo-”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Ben choked on the word. Rey was staring at him, her tan little face scrunched up into a scowl, but at his floundering, her features began to soften, and she opened her mouth…_ _ _ _ _ _

______No, he thought savagely, and he threw up his mental shields with as much strength as he could._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Offering up your own life for someone else ensures that you can make peace with the Force,” Ben finished lamely._ _ _ _ _ _

_______There is no emotion, only peace._ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Rey looked as if he had stabbed her through the heart with his lightsaber._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well, I’m sorry to be impeding on your grand plans to ‘make peace with the Force,’” she shot back, disdain curling around each and every word, “But I’m not going to allow you to make a martyr of yourself!” Rey’s face was flushed, her teeth bared, and her eyes glinted - all in anger, he knew, directed wholly at himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Peace is a lie. There is only passion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I will fight,” Ben said finally, resignation heavy in his tired voice, “If you accept whatever sanction the Republic deems fit.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Rey appeared to be frozen in place. He could practically see the gears whirring in her head, so much like all the old machinery she used to fix up on Jakku, weighing the merits of her precious democracy against the price of his soul. He saw the moment the gears grinded to a halt, having reached a conclusion, her face an open book in moments like this-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, leaving him uncuffed and alone in his cell for the first time since his arrival._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________***_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Rey was running down the hallway, away from Ben, away from the pain of the knowledge that he wanted her to kill him. She ran and ran until her legs ached and her lungs burned, and she found herself standing at the threshold of the command tent. She steeled herself for a moment before she shoved her way in, relieved to find only Finn and Poe, heads bowed close in conversation, their foreheads brushing against each other. Rey got the distinct feeling that she was interrupting something private, and turned to leave, but Finn’s voice cut through the swampy air before she could make her discreet exit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Rey? Where are you going?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Rey cursed silently and turned back around. Finn and Poe were standing now, the latter leaning on a command module a yard away from the former, pretending as if they weren’t just breathing the same oxygen but moment ago._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I…” Rey began, but Finn shook his head and pulled her into his arms. She sighed against his chest, wrapping her arms tight around his torso, and he cupped the back of her neck, rubbing small circles into the spot between her shoulder blades._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It hadn’t always been this easy with Finn - she remembered the first time she met him, he was so touchy, grabbing her hands and casually pushing on the top of her head when he needed a boost to look higher - she had hated it at first, having never had a true friend before, but she grew to tolerate it, and then crave it, and even love it. It was so Finn, to love through the sense of touch, and as she stood there, safe in his arms, it was easy for her to imagine a world where they had run off together after escaping from Jakku. She could have been happy, spending her life with Finn. He was the best friend she always wanted and the brother she never knew she had._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You didn’t say goodbye,” she sniffed, and she felt Finn nod against her head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I know, peanut,” was all he offered as an apology, and her acceptance came in the form of comfortable silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Poe cleared his throat. Rey pulled away from Finn, wiping the wetness from her cheeks, and she was surprised to notice Finn doing the same._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Poe glanced awkwardly between the two of them, and Rey noticed something strange flit across his handsome features, so quickly it might have been a trick of the light, but then his face returned to its resting state, all smiles and sparkling brown eyes before Poe set his sharp jaw resolutely and asked, “What are you going to do, Rey?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Rey looked at her two of her oldest friends with wary eyes. Before them, she had nothing. Just a few short years ago, the thought of not one, but two best friends, as well as a literal army of well wishers and people who loved her, would have been nothing but a pipe dream, a fantasy to help her fall asleep at night when the breath of Ri’ia whipped deafeningly against her AT - AT and withheld precious hours of rest. Back then, on Jakku, if someone had asked her if she would ever want for anything more than this - to be surrounded by people who loved her and cared about her, to be the right hand of the Resistance army and the stronghold of the Republic, she would have scoffed at them. What more could Rey, she who had nothing and came from nothing, want?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I don’t know,” Rey whispered, and even as the words left her lips, she knew it was a lie. Even as Finn and Poe began heatedly discussing their options, throwing a good number of curse words at the New Republic leadership, a plan - or perhaps a vision - was taking shape in her mind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Two figures, one tall and vast, the other short and slight, knelt in an amphitheatre surrounded by hundreds of beings of all races and sentience. Two cloaked figures approached them, raised two identical gauntlets in tandem, and right before the weapons hit their target in necks of the unfortunate souls kneeling beneath them, the girl turned to her partner, her triple buns bouncing with the sudden movement. The man stared straight ahead, his own dark locks hiding his eyes from view, and the audience held their breath as the swords swung downward -_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________Through Victory, my chains are Broken._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________***_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It was nearing midnight when Rey let herself back into Ben’s cell. Poe had given Rey a thorough talking - to when he realized that she had left the prisoner alone in his cell, and that was without the knowledge that she had neglected to restrain him before leaving. Regardless of Poe’s evolving personal convictions towards Ben, the fact remained that he had been Kylo Ren, a dangerous, volatile, murdering war criminal who was only being kept alive because Rey agreed to babysit him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Rey hoped that Ben was asleep, and it appeared to be so - the lights dimmed and his massive figure was lying prone on the cot in the corner, his feet hanging off the end. She dragged her pillow and blanket over to a swatch of floor on the side of the bed and began making herself comfortable. She froze when she saw Ben roll over and stare at her with his deep, dark eyes, piercing even in the muted darkness._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Where were you sleeping when I was...out?” Ben asked slowly, as if the answer wasn’t splayed out in front of him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Rey gestured to her pillow and blanket, strewn on the hard durasteel floor, and Ben huffed in annoyance. With far more strength that she expected of him, Ben leaned over the side of the bed, grabbed her arms, and in one swift movement, pulled her up onto the bed beside him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Rey started. How many times had she dreamt of sharing his bed? The wide expanse of his chest was hard and warm, and she laid her head down in the crook of his collarbone. Their bodies were flush together, their stomachs pressing against each other, and she twined her legs in between his thighs. His hands worked gently through her hair, pulling it loose, and once it was, he twirled the chestnut strands around his long fingers. She sighed contentedly into his shirt._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Ben froze for a fraction of a second before beginning to extricate himself from Rey._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I apologize,” he grumbled, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine, “I shouldn’t have been so forward. I’ll take the floor tonight.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Ben.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He stopped trying to pry Rey off himself long enough to search her face hungrily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Be with me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________If Rey could have paused this moment in time she would have - the relief on Ben’s face was as bright as the sun. He was radiant, basking in her acceptance, and she felt her heart ache at the sincerity of his happiness. It took so little to make him feel so much. What a terrible burden to bear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Ben grabbed Rey around the waist, pulling her on top of him once again, settling his right hand into the little pocket above her hip bone, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, peppering fleeting kisses along her throat. She fisted her hands in his hair and gasped against his cheek as his lips ghosted across her jawline and to her ear. He nipped playfully at her earlobe and she was forced to repress a moan as heat coiled in her belly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Little scavenger,” Ben whispered darkly into her ear, his breath sending a tremor throughout her entire body, “You will be the death of me in every way but one.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________There is no death, only the Force._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Thank you SO MUCH for all the positive feedback to last chapter's pseudo cliffhanger. The comments and kudos inspired me to write much faster than I was anticipating. Pacing wise, I anticipate one (two max) more chapters on Ajan Kloss, and then we'll be on Naboo proper for the promised trial.  
> Peep a little bit of the Sith and Jedi codes sprinkled in there. I wanted to give it a little ~spice~ and considering those are the metrics against which Ben will be judged, I think it's time for those codes to take a...larger role in our story ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor spoilers for "Bloodline" (although it's been out for four years at this point, I'm not sure if I need to put a warning anymore haha) as well a groveling explanation and apology for my absence at the end.

“So you think it’s possible that there’s a loyal First Order base still active on Nevarro?” Poe asked incredulously.

Ben nodded, his dark hair falling over his eyes. Rey stifled a yawn and rubbed her hands over her face. She could hardly believe that it was their last night on Ajan Kloss. Over the past few days, the last remaining members of the Resistance had slowly departed for Naboo until only BB - 8, Rey, Poe, and Ben remained on the base. Some of the braver rebels, following the lead of Rose and Jannah, even stopped by to bid Rey farewell, but she was still harboring the distinct feeling that much of the Resistance considered her a traitor for agreeing to testify on behalf on Ben at his trial, which was to begin in just over one standard day cycle. Despite her limited ability to interact with anyone other than Ben, she noticed that Poe was receiving much of the same cold treatment, his fame as the Republic’s golden flyboy not enough to spare him from vitriol for his role in the upcoming trial.

Once Finn had returned to Naboo, the hours passed unrelentingly, each quicker than the last, and Rey found herself thoroughly alarmed at the nearness of Ben’s pending trial. Each day blurred together until she could barely distinguish them from each other, for each followed nearly the same routine - wake up (next to Ben), interrogate Ben, sometimes with Poe, sometimes without him, and then go to bed (again, next to Ben). While Rey would not miss Ajan Kloss, for it was a humid, wretched planet that, up until recently, held mostly only painful memories of Leia, she was not looking forward to their arrival on Naboo at all. Everytime she thought of it, her stomach began to twist into knots until she feared she would be sick.

Ben and Rey had not discussed the trial since Finn had brought the news of the New Republic’s plans for Rey. It was a constant tension between them, bouying their Force bond with conflict that they both stubbornly ignored. Before Finn had returned to Naboo, he pulled Rey aside, reminding her quietly,

“The Senate is expecting an audience with you the moment you make planetfall. There are a handful of Senators - those closest to Leia - who wish to see her son afforded a fair trial, but to the rest of them, he’s a genocidal mass murderer, and his fate has been decided. And remember, Rey - your refusal to carry out the Senate’s wishes won’t spare him. If the Republic rules against him, all you can do is delay the inevitable.”

Rey was dragged back into the present by Poe repeating her name.

“Rey,” Poe said, glancing between herself and Ben, the latter staring resolutely off into space, “If you don’t have any more questions, I think we’ve gotten everything the Republic needs. If we leave now, you can convene with the Senate first thing tomorrow morning.”

Rey, who had been staring at Ben, trying to read his emotions through the impassive mask on his face, turned back to Poe.

“Yes, we should go. Thank you, Poe.”

BB - 8 whizzed unhappily.

“Thank you, too, BB - 8.”

“Well,” Poe sighed, walking towards the door before glancing back over his shoulder at Rey, “I’ll go ready the transport. I’ll find you when we’re ready.”

Rey shot a look of gratitude in Poe’s direction before he strode out into the hallway. As soon as Poe was gone, Rey made her way over to Ben, who didn’t react when she undid the restraints binding his wrists and ankles, but when she turned to place them on the bedside table, Ben encased her forearm in his long, strong fingers. Rey suppressed a shudder at the unexpected contact.

Ben was staring at her hands, not meeting her eyes. After the kisses they shared a few nights ago, when Rey had fallen asleep on Ben’s chest and had awaken to Poe yanking her off Ben after they had missed his comms reminding them of a morning interrogation session, the pilot hissing, “If Finn knew about this you wouldn’t have to worry about who’s going to kill Kylo Ren,” Ben had been exceedingly careful not to touch her unnecessarily. They still shared his bed, after arguing with each other over who would take the floor, but they lay side by side, shoulders barely touching, ignoring the Force bond crackling like hot electricity between them. Ben had definitely not tried to kiss her again.

“Ben,” Rey began, but Ben shook his head, cutting her off mid - sentence.

“This isn’t going to go the way you think,” Ben murmured, grazing his fingers over the bony parts of her wrist.

Rey opened her mouth, a biting retort on the tip of her tongue, but suddenly, Ben lifted his mental shields, and Rey felt a torrent of emotions that both contradicted and amplified her own.

Ben was afraid - but instead of being afraid for himself, in light of his near certain death, he was afraid for Rey - afraid of her becoming a puppet of the Senate, forced to live a life of lies devoid of freedom of choice. He feared who she would become if she gave the Republic what they wanted, but he feared even more the retribution if she refused to bend to their whims. She sensed anger in all directions - at the New Republic, at Rey, but most strongly, at himself - and oh, so much self - loathing. Beneath all the anger and hate, however, Rey saw something else, an idea formulating, slowly taking shape, glimmering in corner of his mind - 

Ben threw back up his mental shields with a finality that indicated he would not be discussing anything Rey had seen.

“Rey,” Ben began, tugging her over to stand in front of him, between his legs, the way she had been when Finn burst in on them in the middle of their...indiscretions. Rey let go of the restraints and they fell lightly to the floor. She cupped her free hand over his jaw. 

“You can’t save me from what the Republic has planned.”

Rey tried to pull her hand angrily out his grasp, but Ben held tight, his eyes imploring her to listen to him.

“The galaxy is clamoring for my death. They deserve to be rid of me. The sooner you can accept this, the less painful it will be for you and I.”

“For you and I?” Rey shot back angrily. “There is no you and I here, Ben. If you march yourself into the trial and demand execution via lightsaber, I’m alone again. Without you.”

“Yes, and I’ll be dead,” Ben spit out, his caustic tone piercing Rey’s consciousness like poisoned daggers, “So forgive me if I can’t RSVP ‘yes’ to the pity party you plan on throwing.”

“I won’t sit idly by while you offer yourself up to the gallows in some perverted bid for justice!”

“This is justice, Rey,” Ben retorted.

“Nearly every major planetary system has pledged to accept nothing less than the death penalty, regardless of the outcome of the trial. The Senate has decided to resurrect the Jedi Order without the input of-”

“The last Jedi?” Ben finished slyly, dropping Rey’s hand and standing up, pacing back and forth. “Could it be that you finally see the flaws in the New Republic? Despite their commitment to democracy, officials rule virtually unchecked. Despite their commitment to justice, they don’t trust their own legal proceedings. Despite the Old Republic actively participating in the demise of the Jedi Order, the New Republic seeks to revive it, thereby condemning a girl of which they know nothing to a lifetime of servitude to the Republic’s causes.”

“As opposed to the democracy and justice of the First Order?” Rey asked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ben whipped around at that, and pointing his finger at Rey, he seethed, “You won’t catch me worshipping the First Order any longer. I simply understand the restrictions under which I must operate, and will play the game best I can. If that means securing myself a dignified, painless death at the hands of someone I know won’t take any joy in ending my life - so be it.”

He reached around her to secure the restraints on his own wrists in response to the growing sound of Poe’s footsteps coming down the hallway.

“I’ll never do it.” Rey promised, raising her chin in defiance and balling her hands into little fists.

Ben smiled at her then, a joyless expression that filled Rey with dread and fear, and he breath tickled her ear when he leaned down and whispered softly,

“I suppose it’s a good thing that you and I are not the only Force sensitive beings who stumbled so unwittingly into the Resistance’s path after all.”

***

The overnight jump to Naboo had been short enough but far from pleasant. After his little altercation with Rey, Ben had been served a full portion of the silent treatment, and it didn’t appear that Rey would be relenting anytime soon. She had deposited him in the passenger area of the transport before joining Poe in the cockpit, leaving Ben very much alone with his thoughts.

At some point during the night, Ben had fallen asleep, his legs splayed out in front of him in the seat and his wrists still shackled together on his lap. He tried not to notice the obvious lack of little scavenger waking up next to him. He was embarrassed at how quickly he had become accustomed to sharing his bed. Sunlight was streaming in through the viewports - Ben had forgotten what an annoyingly bright planet Naboo was - but it was Poe’s voice calling his name that roused him completely.

“Solo,” Poe said, framed by the doorway to the cockpit, “We’re here.”

Ben stood, nodding, and opened his mouth to ask where Rey was, when she appeared at Poe’s shoulder, looking tired and cross. It may have been his imagination, but Ben could have sworn he saw the lines around her mouth soften for just a moment when she looked at him, but the moment was fleeting, and Ben was greeted with more silence.

“Alright,” Poe sighed, grabbing Ben firmly around his upper arm and beginning to drag him towards the loading ramp, “Let’s get this over with.”

“Wait.”

Rey gently pulled Poe’s hand off Ben’s arm and replaced it with her own. Ben much preferred the feeling of her small, soft hand wrapped incompletely around his bicep to most other sensations in the galaxy, but he would rather pitch himself out an airlock before admitting it to Rey.

Poe looked quizzically at Rey. Ben wondered how much Rey had told him of their fight.

“He’s my charge,” Rey explained quietly, “I’ll escort him to...where am I bringing him?”

Poe frowned. “Finn didn’t mention if the Senate had set up a permanent holding block for prisoners awaiting trial.”

“Either way,” Rey considered, still doggedly avoiding Ben’s furtive glances, “I’ll make sure he’s...safe before my audience with the Senate.”

Ben didn’t much like Rey and Poe conversing about him as if he wasn’t even there, but he disliked even more the look of naked apprehension on her face. He reached out through their bond, trying to assure her that everything would be okay, he would never let anything bad happen to her - 

His probing hit her mental shields, hard and cold, and he recoiled as if he had been physically slapped.

Poe leaned over and whispered something in Rey’s ear that Ben couldn’t hear before unceremoniously shoving the both of them out onto the ramp.

The Theed Royal Palace was as ornate as it was ostentatious. Tall ivory towers topped with pale blue rotundas held royal dominion over the precipes and waterfalls below, each cornerstone graced with an exquisite gargoyle that overlooked the gardens and courtyards in the heart of the palace. Ben had been here once, lifetimes ago, before Kylo Ren was present in even the wildest of the galaxy’s nightmares, with his mother.

He hadn’t realized, of course, the importance of this particular diplomatic mission until nearly a decade later, when he watched with abject horror as he, along with the galaxy, learned that he was the grandson of Anakin Skywalker. He hadn’t understood why his mother had dragged him halfway across the galaxy, stuffed him into his best ceremonial dress robes, and forced him to attend a ceremony honoring the late Queen Padme Amidala, but he did remember that the Naboo were nothing less than deferential to his mother, and doting to him. Ben would come to find out later that the Naboo had long memories, and they were very good at keeping secrets.

Striding across the cobblestones leading to the tall palace steps, Ben became acutely aware of the increased pressure of Rey’s small hand in the crook of his elbow, and when he tore his eyes from her face long enough to watch where he was going, he was filled with uneasy foreboding.

Making their way down the palace steps were no less than two dozen fully armed and armored guards, half of them clearly Resistance, with their hodgepodge uniforms, dirty faces, and dated weapons, and the other half the highly lethal Naboo Royal Guard. The Naboo Royal Guard were outfitted in some of the newest weaponry and battle regalia Ben had ever seen. It rivaled that of the First Order special forces units. Each window of the palace was framed with a face - some Resistance, some Naboo, some off - worlders - who had come to see the mighty Kylo Ren brought to shame.

Rey’s mental shields were down and her force signature was screaming in alarm. Her hazel eyes were wide with concern and she was biting her lip. She didn’t even seem to notice that she had stopped walking.

“Rey,” Ben prompted, tugging his arm at her hand, “Rey, we have to-”

At the sound of her name Rey snapped out of her reverie and turned to stare, dumbfounded, at Ben for only the briefest second before setting her face and turning to face the dozens of armed guards waiting at the foot of the steps.

“I appreciate your dedication, gentlemen,” Rey drawled as she and Ben strolled to a stop in front of their receiving party, “But I’m escorting the prisoner to his secure holding location, so if you could just direct me properly -”

“Sorry miss,” the Naboo captain stepped out of ranks, his blaster only pointed slightly in Ben’s direction, “We’ll be taking him from here. We’re on direct orders from the New Republic Senate.”

Ben felt Rey bristle at the mention of the Senate.

“That won’t be necessary,” Rey insisted, her voice dripping with feigned politeness, and Ben groaned inwardly as she positioned herself ever so slightly between himself and the business end of the guard’s blaster.

“Actually, you’ll find it will be,” the captain replied, “For you are on sovereign land and here on Naboo, we protect our queen first. This prisoner is highly dangerous. No one else is to be trusted.”

“You’re not taking him,” Rey said simply, and Ben felt, through their bond, the moment Rey threw caution to the wind when she declared, “As a Jedi Knight it is my duty to escort and guard this Force sensitive prisoner and I would be remiss if I allowed you to interfere.”

“This is ridiculous,” one of the Resistance sentinels exclaimed, “Rey, turn him over.”

“Where do you plan on taking him?” Rey asked.

“That’s classified, miss,” responded the Naboo captain, inching closer to Ben’s right side.

“What seems to be the problem here, boys?”

Poe had caught up to them, and tucking a datastick into his back pocket, he walked up to Rey’s other side, discreetly positioning himself between her and the Resistance soldier. Despite the seriousness of their current predicament, Ben couldn’t help but suppress a laugh at himself and Poe - out of the three of them, Rey was the most likely to hold her own against this ragtag army.

“General Dameron,” the Resistance fighter stepped forward, “We’re under strict orders from the New Republic Senate to escort this prisoner to a secure, classified location.”

“Alright, well, lead the way,” Poe responded jovially.

“Sir,” the Resistance soldier continued haltingly, “The Senate specifically ordered that the location of the prisoner be kept from the Jedi Knight...as well as you, sir.”

Ben’s stomach dropped.

“Why?” Rey asked angrily. Poe looked mutinous.

“Sorry, Rey,” the Resistance fighter mumbled, not meeting her heated gaze.

"I’m sorry, this is ridiculous,” the Naboo captain interjected, “Dameron, we’re taking him in. Hand him over.”

Several things happened at once.

At the same time the Naboo captain and Resistance fighter lunged for Ben, Rey ignited one of the lightsabers hanging from her utility belt, and Poe grabbed Rey, trapping her upper arms beneath his own and yelling,

“Rey, no!”

Chaos ensued. Usually, Ben would have no problem taking on this many combatants at once, but the sedatives the Resistance had been putting in his water (he knew they were drugging his water, how could they not be?) rendered his Force abilities more or less useless and his physical prowess much less than usual. He thrashed against the guards, calling out to Rey, but she was engaged in her own battle across the cobblestones - Poe had knocked her saber to the ground and it was taking just as many thugs to hold her down.

“Rey, stop!” Poe yelled.

Poe was able to get his arms more firmly around Rey the same time a Resistance fighter landed a well - aimed kick to Rey’s stomach, and she went down hard, the second saber she had managed to wrestle from her belt dropping to the ground next to its twin. Her hair had fallen out of her buns and the unusual sight of her loose, chestnut colored hair gave the impression that she was unraveling at the seams.

“Rey!” Ben screamed. He didn’t know he could make a sound so awful. It didn’t sound like his voice.

Six guards had more or less restrained Ben properly, and now that Rey was totally unarmed, it was taking just as many, Poe included, to keep her from picking up the fight. Even from across the courtyard Ben could see the tears streaming down her face and feel the fear and conflict coursing through their Force bond as he was dragged away, her screams becoming more terrible with each passing moment.

Ben knew hope was fading, and on a whim, he glanced wildly up at the palace, as if an answer to his troubles lay in the heavens while he was being hauled away to whatever dungeon - torture chamber, he corrected himself, as was most likely - the New Republic had planned for him, Rey’s screams puncturing his heart over and over again.

He was met with the impassive face of Ransolm Casterfo staring down at him before he was plunged into complete and total darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, MAJOR "Bloodline" spoilers next chapter. Wee ooo.
> 
> Also...I am VERY sorry for my prolonged absence. The latter half of the summer became rather busy for me, and during my stint out of state I found the environment not conducive to writing at all. However, I'm back in my home state and you'll be pleased to know that I came home Thursday and am pushing out a new chapter today (obviously), so we're back in business! For those of you who follow my other fic, Fallen Angel (shameless self promotion again, what can I say) expect an update in the coming days. Thank you for your patience, and this humble writer grovels at your feet. Please accept some Reylo angst as payment while I ruminate on my sins.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Spoilers for _Bloodline_ ahead.

“Where is he?”

Rey stormed into the temporary Senate chambers, the dark grey hooded robes given to her by the queen’s guard billowing all around her and the Skywalker sabers glinting ominously on each hip. The Force crackled in the air surrounding her, her energy signature white hot with anger. Poe struggled to match pace, hurrying along beside her and whispering curses under his breath, which she ignored.

“Where have you sent him? Tell me!”

There were 16 representatives seated on the outer reaches of the circular room. Rey wondered idly which of them represented the systems that already called for Ben’s death. Naboo guards as well as Resistance fighters armed the doors, and they tensed when Rey flew by them, too caught in her maelstrom of fury to notice their apprehension.  


Most of the representatives were unfamiliar, off - worlders from planets Rey had never heard nor cared about. The Naboo queen, distinguishable by her elaborate pale makeup, intricately woven hair, massive headdress, and endless robes, was seated between tiny Maz Kanata and towering Chewbacca, both representing the interests of the Mid Rim. General Calrissian sat directly across the chamber from the queen, with his compatriots from the Outer Rim. Rey caught a glimpse of Finn, undoubtedly representing the Resistance, off to her left - he was surreptitiously avoiding her gaze. Ignoring the way her heart ached at the sight of him, Rey strode across the room, her righteous anger a shield against all other emotions, and stopped right in front of the young Naboo queen.

“I won’t ask again,” Rey said testily, and the queen’s guard shifted uncomfortably at Rey’s disrespect, “Where is he?”

The queen eyed Rey warily. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old, her youth discernible even under the layers of makeup and jewels. Her emerald eyes were so piercing it was beginning to make Rey uncomfortable.

“So this is your Jedi I’ve heard so much about.”

The queen addressed not Rey, but Poe, who nodded quickly.

“I’m not a proper Jedi,” Rey began, agitated that her question had not been afforded an answer, but the queen cut her off, asking,

“Did you not train under Master Jedi Luke Skywalker? And his twin sister, General Leia Organa? Both, I might remind the Senate, children of Naboo?”

Rey stood, open mouthed and dumbfounded, staring at the young monarch, before turning her head to glare at Finn. He still didn’t meet her gaze. She wondered what other secrets he had divulged to the Senate in his short time on Naboo.

“I did,” Rey conceded reluctantly. The sun shining through the stained glass windows cast a colorful pallor over the queen’s pale countenance.

“You are a Jedi in my eyes, then,” the queen shrugged, “I doubt another soul in the galaxy boasts such esteemed credentials.”

 _Only one other_ , Rey thought.

“Where is he?” Rey asked again, the image of Ben being dragged away by the palace guards, a sack over his head, was burnt onto the back Rey’s eyeballs. “Where have you taken Ben Solo?”

“Ah, Master Jedi,” the queen shook her head, the beads of her headdress swaying over her shoulders, “You must know I cannot tell you that.”

“Why not?” Rey was indignant.

“You have had enough time with the prisoner as it is,” the queen explained coldly, “And besides, your services are not needed anymore. We must begin quickly on the construct of the new Jedi Order -”

“You call me _Jedi_ ,” Rey interjected wildly, throwing caution entirely to the wind, “You must know I can take whatever I want.”

The room fell completely silent following Rey’s outburst. Poe cursed under his breath. One of the Naboo guards stationed at the door Rey had burst through stepped forward and trained his blaster on Rey.

“Is that a threat, Jedi?” He asked angrily, his finger dangerously close to the trigger. Rey fought the urge to reach for her lightsaber.

The queen stood then and raised a hand to her soldier, signaling him to stand down.

“Not a threat, lieutenant, but the truth,” the queen enunciated each consonant powerfully, turning to address the entirety of the Senate for the first time, “but there is a marked difference between what one _can_ do and what one _will_ do. Still, we should not be so foolish as to challenge the Jedi. I am too young to remember, but there was a time when the Jedi were counted among Naboo’s closest friends. We will never forget the sacrifice of Master Qui - Gon Jinn at the Battle of Naboo.”

Rey had no idea who Master Qui - Gon was, but she noticed that the queen was delicately avoiding mentioning another Jedi Knight who would have been counted as a close friend of Naboo.

The queen turned her piercing green eyes back to Rey as she took her seat once again.

“I know what you are capable of, Master Jedi, as well as how invaluable your capabilities are. That is why this temporary Senate is prepared to offer you a deal. You will reignite the flame of the Jedi Order. In exchange, you will be allowed to remain on our planet, participate in the trial of Kylo Ren as sole member of the Jedi Council, and begin your training with Force sensitive individuals from this planet. When the transitionary period of our democracy is over, you will relocate your Jedi Order to the New Republic capital, and you will then be expected to search out other Force sensitive children in the galaxy and train them to serve as peacekeepers of the New Republic.”

Finn did look at Rey then, and as they locked eyes across the Senate chambers, Rey saw the hurt and concern in his eyes. He had been taken from his family as a baby, too young to remember those who had loved him, and had been indoctrinated to be cannon fodder for the First Order like millions of others before him. What would become of these children, plucked from their homes and forced to commit to a Republic before they could even hold a lightsaber?

Rey turned back to the queen.

“How about this instead?” Rey asked angrily, the Force crackling dangerously at her fingertips. “I don’t become a slave of the Republic. I stay here, as a member of the Resistance, and ensure a fair trial for the son of Alliance Generals Han Solo and Leia Organa. I testify before the Senate, and leave on my own terms, free to live my life as I want.”

The queen continued to stare, impassive, back at her, seemingly unaffected by Rey’s outburst. Rey glanced briefly around the room. She avoided Finn’s pained gaze, met Lando’s sympathetic smile briefly, ignored Chewie’s sad brown eyes, and found herself looking at Maz Kanata, who was positively beaming at her, just out of sight behind the queen’s left elbow. Rey didn’t know what to make of that.

The Naboo queen cleared her voice and drew herself up to her full height. She sounded much older than sixteen when she declared, 

“Let me make one thing clear, Master Jedi.” Her voice did not waiver as stared down at Rey. There was something in her bright green eyes that gave Rey the feeling there was more to this young monarch than met the eye. “You are free to leave whenever you desire. Do not confuse your service to the New Republic with captivity. If you choose to remain here, you will begin the Jedi Order anew of your own free will.”

“If I remain here,” Rey clarified, “I will be allowed access to the prisoner.”

“You are a primary witness testifying on behalf of the aforementioned prisoner. It is against our sovereign laws to allow you any contact at all during the trial,” the queen said with an air of finality.

Rey turned on Poe then, baring her teeth at him. “Can’t you do anything, _General_? Or you,” she yelled up at Finn, who cowered underneath her gaze, “You’ve been here all this time. You consent to this?”

Poe placed a hand on either one of Rey’s shoulders gently and looked briefly into her eyes before stepping around her to address the queen.

“Your Highness,” Poe said, walking right up to the barrier between himself and Rey and the queen, “Is there no other course of action?”

It was not the queen who answered, however, but another Senator, a tall blue Twi’lek with bright violet eyes who stood and addressed Poe.

“General Dameron,” the Twi’lek drawled, stroking one of her long lekku, “As I understand it, you will also be providing testimony on behalf of Kylo Ren, as well as General Calrissian, and Maz Kanata, and Chewbacca.” The Twi’lek scrutinized each of them in turn before addressing the rest of the Senate.

“What game is the Resistance playing? Have they perhaps gone soft? After fighting for years against the tyranny of the First Order, their highest ranking fighters are protecting the Supreme Leader?”

The Senators seated in the circle began to whisper to one another conspiratorially, glancing suspiciously at Rey and the other members of the Resistance. Rey felt as if she was in a fishbowl, being scrutinized from all sides, no escape route in sight.

“Your Highness.”

The Resistance fighter who had talked to Poe right before they took Ben away stepped forward. He eyed Poe carefully, weighing the balance of his actions. The queen turned her attention to him.

The Resistance soldier hesitated before continuing. “Your Highness, I apologize for speaking out of turn, but I would like to make it known that not all of us in the Resistance support the decisions of our...leadership.”

Rey looked incredulously at him. Poe was clenching and unclenching his fists angrily, a muscle working in his jaw, and Lando and Finn exchanged uneasy glances. The Resistance fighter stood his ground, never taking his eyes off the queen.

“What do you say to that, General Dameron? Master Jedi?” The Twi’lek asked.

Neither Rey nor Poe had an answer.

“The general and the Master Jedi are not on trial here, Senator Ra’tala,” the queen reminded her colleague softly.

Senator Ra’tala, still standing, was growing visibly agitated. She slammed her fist down on the barrier in front of her.

“Your Highness,” she implored, “Enough is enough. It is time for the Master Jedi to make her choice. She stays and helps rebuild the galaxy that she fought so hard to save, or she leaves. Either way, we need an answer. Now.”

All eyes were on Rey now. She took a deep breath and looked out the stained glass windows at the mountains and lakes off in the distance. Naboo was the most beautiful planet Rey had ever stepped foot on. She wished she were there under different circumstances.

The choice was obvious, easy as breathing, quicker than falling asleep. She could not abandon the Resistance in this hour. She could not disappoint her masters by refusing to pass on their knowledge. She could not leave this planet and allow the trial to proceed without her vital testimony.

She could not leave Ben.

“I consent to the terms of the agreement,” Rey declared, tucking her arms into her sleeves and turning to address Senator Ra’tala, “I will remain on this planet and participate in the trial of Ben Solo as a member of the Jedi Council. I will give my true and honest testimony. I will begin training a new generation of Jedi peacekeepers to serve the Republic to prevent future wars like this one.”

There was a pause, and then Senator Ra’tala nodded in understanding before curtseying to the Naboo queen and sweeping out of the room without so much as a backward glance, her skirts brushing against Rey’s ankles. Poe took that as his cue to leave, bidding Rey a quick farewell before beelining over to Finn. The young queen stood and sighed a breath of relief as the Senate began to dismiss, and fixed Rey with a smile that was so unlike the strict demeanor she had showcased earlier, genuine and warm with youth. 

“Thank you,” she said, descending from her podium to grasp Rey’s hand in her own, “Master Jedi. The galaxy needs you now. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Iellal Baize. I was elected by my people to represent them in these tumultuous times. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Rey was a little humbled now that she saw up close how young Queen Baize truly was - underneath the layers of velvet, she was a child.

“Your Highness, my apologies, but may I have a word with the Master Jedi?”

A tall man with sandy blond hair and sharp blue eyes appeared suddenly at Rey’s elbow, bowing quickly to the queen in greeting.

“Of course, Senator Casterfo,” the queen agreed, “Excuse me, Master Jedi.”

Before Rey could object to being left alone in the clutches of an unfamiliar senator, the queen had disappeared. To avoid having to look at Casterfo, she glanced over at Poe and Finn, but they were deeply engrossed in conversation and didn’t notice her plight.

“Don’t worry, Master Jedi, I’ll return you to your friends soon enough,” Casterfo promised, gesturing for her to follow him, “Walk with me?”

***

“Please, Senator, call me Rey.”

Casterfo had escorted Rey through the palace in silence, and now they strolled through a deserted courtyard, surrounded by only the magnolias and irises. His cerulean robes glowed iridescently in the midday sun. Rey took a good look at her companion for the first time. He was a few inches taller than her, with short, sandy hair and blue eyes as sharp as ice. He was young to be a senator, that much was obvious, but the lines of his face hinted at a life of difficulty. There was nothing particularly interesting or striking about his appearance, but his combination of average features was not unpleasant to behold. Rey found solace in this familiarity of normalcy, especially when compared to the outlandish appearances of Senator Ra’tala and Queen Baize.

“In that case, Rey, please know me as Ransolm.” He smiled tightly at her.

“Ransolm,” Rey nodded, brushing her fingertips over a strand of tall grass as she walked by, “I assume you have not simply asked me here for the pleasure of my company.”

“No,” Ransolm agreed lightly, flashing her a coy smile, “I haven’t, but your company is pleasurable nonetheless.”

Rey didn’t know how to respond to that, so she remained silent.

“There are...rumors,” Ransolm continued after the pause, “Whispers of what you have done for Kylo Ren - and what you’re prepared to do for him in the future.”

Rey tensed. If Ransolm noticed, he didn’t let on.

“What are these rumors, then?” Rey asked, fighting to keep her voice level.

“Oh you know,” Ransolm waved his hand lazily, his conversational tone a stark contrast to the heaviness of the topic, “A little bit of this, a little of that. Everyone who hears these rumors says the same thing, however.”

“And what is that?”

“What a tragedy it would be if the last Jedi fell in love with the Jedi Killer.”

Rey stopped abruptly; felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. She whipped her head around quickly, looking for eavesdroppers, before whispering angrily,

“What do you want, _Senator_?”

To her great surprise, however, Ransolm did not look furious or threatening at all - he was fighting back a smile.

“All I wanted, _Master Jedi_ , was your confirmation. And now I have it. I must let you know, however, that you and I are on the same team.”

“What team?” Rey spit out, her embarrassment at being ambushed like this by a stranger overwhelming her senses.

Ransolm studied her for a moment before answering.

“I do not intend to allow this Senate to destroy Leia Organa’s son.”

***

“I owe the last Princess of Alderaan a debt of gratitude.”

Rey and Ransolm were seated on a marble bench now, tucked underneath a weeping willow, far from prying eyes and ears. Rey watched a blue butterfly land on her knee and take off again as she waited patiently for Ransolm’s explanation.

“I did not have an easy childhood, Rey. My parents were forced to labor on the first Death Star and died there when I was a child. I grew up an orphan, much like yourself,” he inclined his head respectfully in her direction, “And, understandably so, I grew up hating the Empire - especially the Emperor and Darth Vader.”

Rey shifted uncomfortably then. Was Ransolm aware of her parentage? Would he still be telling her all of this if he knew?

“In my adolescence, I was adopted by a wealthy family who provided for my every need. They helped me get my start in politics, and before I knew it, I was one of the youngest Senators ever elected from Riosa.

But I was a fool, still mourning my lost childhood and my parent’s death, and I supported the Centrist movement calling for the election of a strong First Senator. One of my loudest opposers was Leia Organa,” he smiled wistfully then, for a moment, “but she was kind and intelligent, and despite our opposing viewpoints, we grew to be close friends, and worked together to make the galaxy better for all people.”

Ransolm stopped then, wringing his hands in his lap. His story was reminding Rey of a painful truth - she really did not know much about Leia. She loved her and respected her, never feeling that she was good enough for her, but had Rey ever asked Leia of her time in the Senate? Rey blinked back tears at the memory of her lost Master.

“A Centrist colleague of mine approached me one day, claiming to have disturbing information regarding a senator’s personal ties to Darth Vader. Of course, blinded by my hatred, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to rid the Senate of any semblance of Imperial sympathizers.”

Rey’s tears were flowing freely now. Ransolm’s voice was robotic as he retold the story of his betrayal, his head hung with shame.

“Just as Leia was accepting the Populist nomination for First Senator, I presented the irrefutable evidence, which she confirmed before the Senate - she was the child of Darth Vader. The Centrists couldn’t be more pleased. Leia’s political career was ruined. I, however, took no joy in what I had done, and I fell into a deep depression. Leia came to me during this time. She was angry over my betrayal. She told me that barely a soul in the galaxy knew of her true parentage - only her brother and her husband. She had never even told her son. He discovered that he was the grandson of Darth Vader along with the rest of the galaxy - sitting alone in his uncle’s training Temple, reading a Holonet report.”

Rey’s heart felt like it was breaking. How had she never known this? She longed to be with Ben, to hold him, to apologize for the fight they had before they left Ajan Kloss. She couldn’t imagine the pain that had caused him - and how Palpatine had used that pain to his own advantage.

“In the end, I supported Leia,” Ransolm continued, “And I think she forgave me. She saved my life, just over a year ago. I had been framed for an assassination I did not commit. I was to be executed. Leia rescued me from prison. I stayed with the Resistance for a spell, actually - but you were on a mission, no doubt battling it out with the Supreme Leader - and it was then that Leia made clear the consequences of my actions. You can imagine my...regret, when I learned what her son had become. For years I had believed the lie that her son had perished in the destruction of the Temple. Before Starkiller Base destroyed Hosnian Prime, I had even offered her my condolences for the death of her son, and she accepted them. Very few in the galaxy know Leia’s son became Kylo Ren. While I miss her terribly, I am very glad she won’t be around to see the galaxy’s reaction when it is revealed during the trial.”

“No one’s ever really gone,” Rey whispered. She wasn’t sure if it was comforting or not.

Ransolm sniffled, and Rey looked away discreetly, allowing him a moment alone with his grief.

“I wanted you to understand,” he said to Rey finally, as she wiped away an errant tear from her cheek, “So you would know that you are helping me as much as I am helping you.”

“Thank you, Ransolm,” Rey replied gently, “I know it would mean everything to Leia.”

Ransolm nodded, his despair replaced with determination, and he stood, offering his hand to Rey.

“Well, Master Jedi,” he sighed, “If you’re ready, we have much to do and very little time to do it.”

Rey took his hand gratefully and stood, pulling up the hood of her robes as they walked out from underneath the willow.

***

Nearly a mile below where Rey stood, Ben Solo jerked awake suddenly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I apologize that this was more plot - centric than Reylo - centric but I PROMISE the next chapter will be all about our star crossed lovers. In the next two chapters we'll be starting the titular trial. Wee ooo!


End file.
